Violence and Security

New York Attacker Planned Assault for a Year

November 08, 2017

The Uzbek national with a US green card who perpetrated the recent deadly truck attack in Manhattan had been planning the assault for a year, was known as a radical among American Muslim communities where he resided, and was described by US authorities as "a voracious consumer" of Islamic State (IS) materials.
Afghanistan Emerges as Islamist Terror Training Base

November 08, 2017

Despite the ongoing activity of US special forces dedicated to stabilizing Afghanistan, the release of a new Islamist militant training camp video by al-Qaeda affiliate Islamic Jihad Union (IJU) underscores the fact that Afghanistan has become a magnet country for the full spectrum of global jihadi groups that share the goal of internationalizing sharia law under a caliphate structure.
Boko Haram Attacks Soft Targets in Cameroon, Nigeria

November 08, 2017

Hardline Islamist group Boko Haram perpetrated soft-target attacks, murdering villagers in Cameroon and staging a suicide bombing in a Nigerian mosque, as part of the jihadi group’s campaign to institute sharia states in West Africa.
Russia Faces Child Repatriation Challenges Related to IS Fighters

November 08, 2017

The Russian state is facing complex legal, security, and humanitarian challenges associated with the repatriation of children orphaned in Iraq and Syria by Russian Islamists who fought for Islamic State (IS) from the North Caucasus republics of Chechnya and Dagestan.
Bahrain Monarchy Blames Iran for Attack on Police

November 08, 2017

Islamic sectarian tensions spiked again in Bahrain after another militant attack on a police target in the island monarchy that hosts US naval bases, as the country’s Sunni monarchy accused Shiite Iran of fomenting discontent among Bahrain’s majority Shiite population.
Al-Shabaab Continues East Africa Jihad

November 08, 2017

Islamist terror group al-Shabaab escalated its jihadi war in Somalia with yet another deadly assault on government and civilian targets in the capital city of Mogadishu, just as the country’s president has intensified pleas for American and African states to increase their support in the fight against imposing sharia law in East Africa.
Court Sentences Uzbek National for Material Support to IS

November 08, 2017

An Uzbek national who had worked in Brooklyn, New York, received a 15-year prison sentence from a US court for providing material support to the Islamic State (IS), including online statements of support to kill then-President Barack Obama and to plant bombs in New York.
Returning Caliphate Fighters Raise Threat in Balkans

November 08, 2017

According to a comprehensive new report by security experts at the US-based Soufan Group, the anticipated return of significant numbers of fighters who warred for the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq will exacerbate state fragility in the Western Balkans and raise Islamist threats in surrounding European states.
UK's Reported Jihadi Reintegration Stokes Public Controversy

November 08, 2017

The British Home Office has sparked a public outcry over a possible program to reintegrate and deradicalize returning foreign fighters from the Islamic State (IS) by providing state funds for their housing, education, and job training.
Red Cross Defends IS Against “Dehumanizing Rhetoric”

November 08, 2017

Senior leadership in the Mideast operations of the International Committee of the Red Cross has expressed concern that transatlantic leaders are using “dehumanizing” and “demonizing” language to refer to Islamic State (IS) combatants and their families and supporters.